I’m sitting at Starbucks doing homework/catching up on blogs and I stumbled on this blog. Ryan and Evan recently lost their kitty, Harvey. Harvey was only a year old.

I started reading her posts on Harvey’s condition and before I knew it I was literally bawling in Starbucks. I tried to wipe my face off with my sweater but the tears just kept flowing. Ryan’s posts about Harvey literally broke my heart. Just the thought of losing Webster absolutely devastates me and I can’t even imagine what they must be going through right now. This must be what people feel like about their children. I’m already a crazy cat-mom, I probably should never have children!

Anyways, please take some time today and stop in at Ryan’s blog and leave your condolences. What they’re going through is terrible and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.

I’ve briefly mentioned it a few times on here, but I’m currently in the process of moving!

Because I go to school, work, freelance, blah blah I decided to double-rent for the month of March so I’d have an entire month to slowly move. Plus, my Dad, brother and Eric are coming down around the middle-end of March to help me move the big stuff, like my bed.

Side note: Eric will be STAYING until we leave for our trip as he has five weeks of school starting March 22!! Yay! I can’t wait to live with him for a bit, again.

Anyways, the place that I’m moving to is much, much, MUCH smaller then my current apartment. My current apartment is a 2-bedroom and it’s a corner unit so it’s quite bit. I think they said it’s around 900 sq feet.

Well, my new place is a basement suite in the corner of a house not even the whole basement, and it’s about 500 sq feet. Max. It’s also a 1-bedroom with a bedroom so small it will barely fit my queen bed, nightstand and dresser.

Ah, the sacrifices we make when it comes to money. Also, the place I’m in now really is too big for just me and Webster. And, you know, there’s that whole technicality where I’m cough*notsupposedtohavepetsinmyapartmentthatI’minnow*cough. Webster is welcome in the new place

Because of this I really need to downsize on my stuff. I will be sending quite a bit of furniture back home with my Dad to go into storage, but I also need to figure out some space-savers when it comes to stuff that I’m keeping.

Last weekend I bought a DVD case at Walmart to put all of our DVD’s in because, you know, DVD cases take up a lot of unnecessary room. Well after sitting cross-legged for 1.5 hours sorting and alphabetizing our DVD’s that project was done.

Side note: sitting cross-legged for a long period of time is not easy. My hips and lower back ached afterwards. I am 90 years old.

I also sorted out my towel and sheet closet last night and threw away some really old and ratty towels that I had. I saw somewhere online (can’t remember where now) that rolling your towels takes less room and it totally does! I managed to fit all of my towels in these two baskets, which I also think looks pretty good.

I think my biggest dilemna will be my shoes. Right now I just kind of throw all my shoes and boots into the bottom of my hall closet. But, you see, at this new place there is no hall closet. So what am I going to do with them?

Look at the disaster.

Hall Closet:

Bedroom closet:

Hanging out by the door:

I think there are two or three pairs of shoes in my car too… Oopsie!

See how much help I need? I am what you’d call “messy-organized”. Walk into my apartment and it will look immaculate and neat. Just don’t open any drawers or closets! Ya, well, in this new place there AREN’T very many drawers and closets to hide my messy side.

So, what’s your best tip when it comes to storing stuff in neat and inconspicuous places? And have you ever had to move and majorly downsize? Tell me about it!

I have some really deep posts swirling around in my head but I was having a lot of trouble articulating them in a blog post last night. Writers block, I suppose.

Anyways, I’ve decided to participate in another installment of Ten on Tuesday. I always love reading these and really need to participate more often!

1. What is your favorite travel destination spot?

Well I haven’t done too much international traveling (yet) but honestly some of the best vacations I’ve ever been on are camping in the beautiful B.C. mountains! This summer me and Eric went camping with his sister in Edgewood, BC and it was absolutely blissful. There were gorgeous lakes in between huge mountains and no cell service so it was completely relaxing. I also had an unbelievable time when I went to the spa with my mom up in Northern B.C.!

I’m sure after April/May I will have some wonderful new travel destinations to add to my list though!

2. Cats vs. Dogs.

OK, OK, I’m sure the consensus here is going to be dooggsss. And I may have said that 1.5 years ago, too. But, honestly, now that I have Webster I would pick cats any day. He is the perfect pet for me. He’s cuddly and sweet and awesome company but he’s also not to needy and I can leave him alone overnight if I want to go somewhere. It’s also not a big deal to leave him in the house all day when I’m gone for 10-12 hours! I seriously love him so much.

That being said, I definitely want to be a dog-owner one day! I want a big dog that I can run with.

3. Do you believe in fate?

Nope. I believe that things happen because of choices we make, not because they were “meant to be”. I also believe that sometimes bad things happen simply because someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

4. Do you believe in karma?

So, even though I don’t believe in “fate” I do believe in Karma and getting what’s coming to you. I think that people who put bad energy into the world and who are mean to other people will get what’s coming to them!

5. Everyone has a unique laugh. Do you like yours?

Meh, it’s OK. Kind of “cack-ly” I suppose. It can also be really loud.

6. Is love really all you need?

Ooooh, this question really touches on some of the deep posts I’ve been pondering. I think that love is all you need  but it’s not love for another person; it’s love for yourself and who you are. And that’s as deeply as I’ll get into it. For today anyways!

7. What’s your take on the whole 2012 scare?

Meh, again. Similar to the whole 2000 scare. I don’t really think anything of it. I do want to see the movie, though!

8. If you won a million dollars and had to give it all away, who would you give it to? (Family and friends not included.)

I would give it to charity. I would give half to the Heart and Stroke Foundation because it’s a foundation that is special to me since heart disease runs in my family. I think I would use half of the other half for animal rights groups (NOT PETA) but like the local SPCA and Humane Society and stuff. Animal cruelty pretty much reduces me to tears all the time.

With the final quarter, I would give it to some sort of organization that helps under privileged children!

9. Do you believe in God/religion/the power of prayer?

I do believe in being spiritual, in a higher power and in the power of good thoughts/positive thinking and prayer.

For the most part, I do not believe in organized religion; at least not for me and my life.

10. What New Year’s Resolution do you always make but never keep?

For the longest time it was the resolution to lose weight but then I achieved that in 2008. Since then I haven’t really made any New Year’s Resolutions!

I’m curious to know what you guys think about fate and karma? Do you believe that things are meant to be or do you believe that our choices determine who we are/where we are/where we’ll end up in life?